Corn-planter.



PATENTBD MAY 19, 1.903.

No. 728,510. I

H. D. SMITH. CORN PLANTER.. y APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 19402.

N'o MQDEL.

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PATENT Patented May 19, 1903.

OFFICE.

`HENRY DAVID SMITH, OF NEWBERN, VIRGINIA. Y

CORN-PLANT'ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,510, datedvMay 19,1903.

Application iled April 29, 1902. Serial No. 105,171. (No model.)v

To a/ZZ whom t may oon/cervi: i

Be it known that I, HENRYDAVID SMITH,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at `Newbern, in the county ofPulaski and State of Virginia, have invented a new and usefulCorn-Plantei-,of which the followingis a specilication.` .y i,

My invention is an improved combined l planter andfertilizer-distributenfor planting The axle 1 is here shown as securedto the.

under side of a frame 2, near the rear end thereof, and on the spindlesof the axle are the supporting-Wheels 3. each of the said wheels is acrown-gear 4', the

same comprising a circularV plate having the? crown-teeth on the innerside thereof and be` ing secured to the spokes of the wheel by meansofclip-bolts 5. The frame 2 is provided with thills 5,the rear portionsof which` form the outer sides of the jframe. On the opposite endportions of the axle .are two pairs of longitudinally-disposedbolster-bars 6, the ends of which are curvedupwardly, as.

shown in Fig. l, and the saidpairs of bolsterbars are respectivelyconnected at their front ends by cross-bars 7. Laterally-movable hoppers8 bear on the said cross-bars 7 and are adapted to slide thereon, andthe said hoppers have guides 9 on their lowersides which bear againstthe inner sides of the bars 7 and serve to` retain the hoppers on thesaid bars and to guide them thereon. Any other suitable means maybeemployed for connecting the hoppers to the supporting-bars 7, so thatthe hoppers are adapted to be moved laterally onthesaid bars, and I donot limit myselfin this particular. e

Each of the hoppers is divided by a transversely-disposed partition 10into a front fer- On the inside ofl tilizer-compartment lland a, rearcorn-compartment 12. Inthe bottom ofthe hopper, in the upper sidethereof, is a seat 13, which is nearly a complete circle. and in whichis disposed .a revoluble seed and fertilizer dropping disk 14, the samelprojecting from the outer side of the hopper andhaving peripheral spurs15 of suitable depth. The said disk 14 is provided with seed cups oropenings 16,disposed equidistantfrom the center there- Within the radiusof the'se'ed cups or openings 16, but in' .radial alinement therewith.In the upper side ofeach disk 14, at the cendisposed a cut-oiforregulating plate 19,v the latter having openings 20 adapted toregisterwith `the openings 17 ofthesaid disk and corresponding insizeand shape therewith, and it will be understood that by partly turningthe said cut-off or regulating plates en ce to the openings 17 thelatter may be either partly cnt olf to any desired extent or entirelycut od at will. Hence the quantity of seats at any desired'adiustme'n'u; it being unraised slightly to clear their spurs -22 from thegaged, before the said plates can,y be turned of said notches 21. Whenadjusted in the seats 18, the plates 19 have their u'pper sides per hasa removable false bottom plate 2,3 to cover the disk 14 and platel9 inthe bottom of the hopper, and the said plates 23 are eachfertilizer-openings. in the plates I4 and-19 successively register, andwith a seed-opening 25, with which the openings 16 of the revolubleplate 14 successively register, and hence wheny the machine is in motionand the plates or disks 14 are being rotated the same will dropfertilizer and seeds through the openof,'and a concentricallydisposedseries of ferl '.tilizer-d ropping openings17, the latter being todispose their openings angularly with refer,

fertilizer dropped by each opening 17 may bel regulated. :The disks 1 4are provided withy adj usting-notches 21, the inner ends of whichcommunicate with the seats 18, andtheplates 19 are providedrwith spurs22 to engagesaid notches to lock the 'said plates ingtheir said ,notches21, with which they have been en' to cause their said spurs to engageother level with those -of the disks 14. -.Each hopprovided with anopening 24, with which the,

ter thereof, is a circular seat 18, in which is `485v derstood thatthe'lplates -19'must be Iirstji IOO ings 2G and 27, respectively, in thebottoms of the hoppers, as will be understood. Over each opening 25, andat one side thereof,is disposed a cut-off brush 28. The partitions l0,as well as the false bottom plates 23, are removable from the hoppers,and Ithe bottom plates 23 are secured to the bottoms of the hoppersbyauy suitable means, thumb-screws 29 being shown for this purpose.

It will be understood that when the hoppers are moved outwardly toengage the spurs of the revoluble seed and fertilizer dropping disks orplates with the crown-gears 4 said disks or plates will be rotated bythe operation of the wheels 3 when the machine is in motion, and thatwhen the hoppers are moved inwardly the seed and fertilizer droppingdisks are out of gear with the gears 4.

I will now describe means for simultaneously moving the hoppers so thatthe seed and fertilizer dropping disks may be thrown into or out of gearby a single operation. A rock-shaft 30 is disposed transversely over theframe 2 and journaled in bearings 3l. Said rock-shaft has rock-arms 32at its ends employed for raising and lowering the furrowing shovels anddrills, as hereinafter stated, and said rock-shaft has also a handlever33, by which it may he partly turned. The hand-lever is provided withthe usual spring-pressed or gravity locking-dog, which coacts with asegmentrack 34 to lock said hand-lever, and hence the rock-shaft, at anydesired adjustment. The said rock-shaft is further provided with adownwardly-extending rock-arm 35, which passes through and is adaptedtooperate in an opening 36 in the platform of the frame 2, and to thelower end of the said rock-arm 35 is pivotally connected the front endof a shifting rod 37. The rear end of the said rod 37 is upturned andadapted to slide longitudinally in a slot 38 in the platform of theframe. At the upper end of the upturned portion of said slide-rod is ahead 39, here shown as a nut, which bears on the upper side of alongitudinally-disposed slotted guide-plate 40, which is secured on theupper side of the platform of the frame. The upper end of the upturnedportion of said slide-rod operates in the slot 41, and to said npturnedportion of the slide-rod are pivoted the inner ends of shifting links42, which have their outer ends pivotally connected to the inner sidesof the hoppers 8, as at 43. It will be understood from the foregoingthat when the rock-shaft 30 is turned by the hand-lever 33 to move theshifting rod 37 longitudinally said rod,.throug,h the links 42, shiftsthe hoppers to put the fertilizer and seed dropping disks or platesthereof in or out of gear with the gears 4. Hence at a single motion ofthe lever 33 the machine may be adapted for operation or thrown outoperation.

The drill-shoes 44, which carry the furrowopening points or shovels 45,are connected to the rear ends of draft-bars 46, which latter have theirfront ends pivotally connected to the sides of the frame at or near thefront end thereof, as at 47. Lifting-rods 48 connect said draft-bars tothe rock-arms 32 of the shaft 30, and hence it will be understood thatwhen the lever 33 is moved to put the dropping mechanismsl in gear byshifting the hoppers the drill-shoes will be simultaneously lowered, andsaid drill-shoes will be elevated when the machine is thrown out ofgear. The usual flexible tubes 49 are employed to convey the seed andfertilizer from the hoppers through the drill-shoes to the ground in thefurrows made by the points or shovels 45. Springs 50 are shown on therods 48 and which bear between the draft-bars 46 and the rock-arms 32,said springs serving to keep the drillshoes depressed, but permittingthem to rise to pass over roots or stones, and thus avoid breaking thedrill-shoes or the points or shovels carried thereby.

It will be understood from the foregoing that my improved planter andfertilizer-distributer is adapted for planting corn or other seeds indrills. It is desirable to provide means to prevent the fertilizer,which is sometimes moist, from becoming clogged in thefertilizer-compartments of the hoppers, and to this end I employrevoluble stirrers 5l, at the outer ends of the shafts of which arespurred wheels 52, the spurs of which are engaged by the crown-gears 4on the wheels 3, whereby said stirrers are rotated when the machine isin operation.

I have also invented means by which my planter andfertilizer-distributer is adapted for use in planting in check rows,which means I will now describe.

In the rear and lower portions of the drillshoes, which are open, aredisposed accumulating-valves 53, which are pivoted, as at 54, and thelower ends of which project downwardly below the lower ends of the saiddrillshoes and extend approximately to the points of the shovelsthereot`,so that theyare disposed in the furrows below the surface ofthe soil when the machine is in operation. Each of the saidaccumulating-valves is normally maintained in a position to close thelower end of the drill-shoe, which carries it by a spring 53, suchas'indicated at Fig. 2. The said spring is here shown as secured totherear side of the drill-shoe and with its free end bearing against theupper arms of the accumulatingvalve. Loops or links 5G are connected tothe said upper arms of the accumulating-valves, pass around, and extendforwardly of the drill-shoes and are connected, by means of rods orcords 57, to the lower ends of rockarms 58, with which a rock-shaft 59is provided. The said rock-shaft is here shown as disposed under theframe 2 and journaled in bearings 60, and to the said rock-shaft isattached a hand-lever 61. In Fig. l of the drawings said hand-lever isshown as extending under the platform or frame and projecting in rearthereof, so thatitis adapted tobc IOO IOS

lIO

operated manually by the driver when he is v walking in rear of themachine, which it is the lever 6l manually, thereby causing theraccumulating-valves to open by the operation of the rock-shaft and theconnections hereinbefore described, so that the seeds and fertilizer aredropped by the action of the accumulating-valves ldirectly'in thecross-furrows at the bottom of the furrows opened by the drill-shoeshovels.

It will be understood that the hand-lever 6l may be so disposed, ifpreferred, that it may be operated by the driver when he is riding andis sitting ou the seat'62; but where the ground is uneven the-bestpractical purposes are attained when the hand-lever is operated manuallyfrom behind the machine.

A marker-bar 63 isslidably secured in a block or head 64, which ispivotally mounted in a standard 65, that 'is-disposed, on. the center ofthe frame 2, at the front end thereof. The said marker-bar is adapted tobe extended from either side of the frame as far as may be required tomark a parallel adjacent row and is adapted to be turned on the pivot 64to either side of the machine, and when disposed in operative positionits outer portion rests on one of the supports 66 with which the frame 2is provided at 0r near its frontv corners.

My improved planter and fertilizer-distributer is exceedingly simple inconstruction, may be manufactured at small cost, and is adapted to bereadily drawn by one horse to plant two rows simultaneously either indrills or in check-rows and either with or without and hence acorresponding adjustmentof they hoppers may also be effected to enablethe rows to be plan ted at any desired width apart.'

When used for planting in check-rows, my improved planter may be runeither directly across the fu'rrows at right angles thereto or obliquelyacross the furrows in either direction, as may be desired. v

-A set-screw 64 securesthe marker-bar when adjusted to the head or pivot64.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a planter, thecombination with relatively ixed gears, of movable hoppers, guidestherefor, dropping mechanisms, carried by and movable with the hoppersand including gears adapted to engage the first-mentioned gears,shifting links having their outer ends exibly connected to the hoppers,a lever, and a connection between the same and the inner ends of theshifting links, substantially as described.

. 2. In a planter, the combination with relatively tixed gears, ofmovable hoppers, guides therefor, dropping mechanisms carried by andmovable with the hoppers and including gears adapted to engagethefirst-mentioned gears, shifting links having their outer ends flexiblyconnected to the hoppers, a lever, and a connection between the same andthe inner ends of the shifting links, vertically-movable furrow openers,and connections between them and said lever, whereby the furrowopenersand hoppers are simultaneously movable thereby, substantially asdescribed.

Y3. In a planter, the combination of a hopper, a revolubledropping-platein the bottom 95 thereof having peripheral spurs, one sideof said droppingplate projecting through an opening in one side of thehopper, and a stirrer in the hopper, having a gear disposed beyond oneside thereof and engaging the projecting roo portion ofthefirst-mentioned gear, substantially as described.

4. In a planter, the combination of a hopper having seed and fertilizercompartments,

a false bottom plate having openings to discharge from said compartmentsanda bottom with openings out of register with the firstmentionedopenings, a revoluble droppingdisk disposed between the'bottom and falsebottom plate of the hopper and having seed uc and fertilizer openings atdifferent distances from its center and adapted to successively registerwith the respective seed and fertilizer'` openings of the hopper-bottomand its false',-

bottom plate, and means carried by thesaid disk and adjustable thereonto cover the fertilizer-opening therein to any desired extent,substantially as described. p

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in 12o the presence of two witnesses.4

HENRY DAVID SMITH.

Witnesses:

R. G. HUDSON, B. E. WATSON.

